An ongoing adventure of travel and living while using a wheelchair. Tim has been disabled from birth. Darryl is his father and caregiver who travels with him.
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Friday, July 7, 2017

Meeting Murphy's Law in Solvang, California

It’s like something out of Tolkien. Shady, moss covered
rocks protect a meandering stream. Large fonds of ferns fill in the empty
spaces between the sycamores and oaks. A narrow canyon opens up into a sylvan
glen. Sixty feet up, a stream of water cascades over a green, moss covered,
mineral buildup that took millions of years to form.

This is the opening act to our weekend away. It’s our
anniversary and we’ve just been able to find some help to take care of Tim so
Letty and I can have an overnight respite. This year, we’re heading to Solvang,
about 50 miles north of Santa Barbara.

Watch the Video!

Hike with us to Nojoqui Falls!

It’s a little over two hours to get here on a Saturday
morning with no traffic. Before we head into the town proper, we pull off to
investigate a sign that has intrigued me every time I’ve taken the drive north
on Highway 101…Nojoqui Falls Park.

Since we usually have a wheelchair with us, hiking up to see
a waterfall is usually off-limits so I take the opportunity when I can. It’s
just Letty and me this trip so off we go.

From the parking lot, it’s a 1/3 mile hike through the
narrow canyon to the falls. If you’re an adventurous wheelchair user, you could
get 2/3 of the way before you hit a set of stairs that would block further
progress.

This waterfall is different in that it doesn’t erode the
cliff. Instead, minerals in the water build up over time, pushing the water out
from the hill instead of the water pushing in, resulting in a bulbous mound of
rock, similar to a stalagmite in a cave.

A few minutes to admire the cascade, really a little more
than a trickle this time of year, and then back down. Up and back in less than
30 minutes.

We continue on Alisal Road, which is a backroad way into
Solvang. It’s narrow, the pavement’s worn, and our phones won’t work out here
but the scenery is beautiful, serene with green rolling hills dotted with
horses and cows.

The exclusive and expensive Alisal Ranch and golf course
tells us we’re about to get into town. The chirp on my cell phone confirms it.

Danish style buildings, a windmill, and throngs of tourists
clogging the street welcome us to the Danish capitol of California. Gingerly, I
thread the car through to Mission Drive, the highway that runs through town,
and turn left to find our hotel, the Royal Copenhagen Inn.

A full parking lot and packs of greyhounds greet us at the
hotel. We go into the office and ask if we can park there until checkin time.

“What’s the last name?”

“Musick.”

“Don’t see it.”

I pull out my e-mail confirmation and hand it to her.

“You have a reservation but it’s not for today, it’s for a
month from today.”

Taking the printout back, I check it again. The date is
March 23rd…not February 23rd as I had been absolutely
sure it had said when I checked it twice.